Lithuania's State Security Department (VSD) has issued a warning about a growing trend of minors being drawn into nihilistic extremism, an ideology that promotes violence and criminal activity, describing the spread as accelerating over recent years.
"Some researchers are already calling this process an epidemic. The VSD is observing signs of nihilistic extremism spreading in Lithuania and is urging parents, guardians, teachers and others in close contact with minors to pay attention to this threat and to take an interest in children's online activity," the department said in a statement.
"A radicalisation process that is not stopped in time can cause irreparable harm both to those affected by nihilistic extremist ideology and to their victims," it added.
What is nihilistic extremism?
Nihilism is broadly associated with negativism, pessimism and scepticism – the belief that human existence has no objective meaning, purpose or value. In its extremist form, the VSD says, this worldview is being weaponised to recruit young people into networks that encourage and celebrate violence.
The ideology is spreading through popular social media platforms and online gaming platforms such as Roblox and World of Tanks.
Recruiters use memes, short videos and computer games to draw minors in, presenting involvement in extremist networks as a path to self-realisation, attention, recognition and social status.
How the networks operate
The VSD says those involved in nihilistic extremist networks carry out criminal acts both online and in the physical world.
Online, recruiters target vulnerable minors – those with personal problems at home, mental health difficulties or social isolation. In the initial stages, they offer what appears to be moral support in order to gain trust. Once trust is established, victims are manipulated into sharing sensitive imagery, which is then used as leverage.
Under threat of exposure, victims are coerced into self-harm, violence against others or animals, and in some cases suicide. These acts are frequently recorded and shared.
In the physical world, those who join nihilistic extremist networks typically begin with minor offences such as graffiti or vandalism.
At later stages, they progress to violent attacks against younger teenagers, homeless people, those with alcohol or drug dependencies, and members of racial, ethnic or religious minorities. These violent acts are often filmed and posted on social media.
The networks involved
The VSD identifies the most prominent nihilistic extremist networks as 764, Maniac Murder Cult (also known by its Russian name, Маньяки: культ убийства), No Lives Matter and True Crime Community. Dozens of other networks and groups exist on social media, most of them modelled on these main networks, often using numbers or the word "cult" in their names.
Content circulated within these groups includes child sexual abuse material, extreme violent imagery (murders, terrorist attacks, torture of humans and animals), instructions for making weapons, explosives and poisons, and material glorifying notorious serial killers and terrorists. The groups also distribute content promoting far-right extremism, Satanism and occult practices.
Warning signs
The VSD has set out a number of indicators that a minor may have become involved in nihilistic extremist activity. These include social withdrawal, sudden and unexplained changes in behaviour, persistent low mood and heightened irritability.
Spending the majority of their time communicating on social media while concealing the nature of those interactions from those close to them is also flagged as a warning sign.
Other indicators include the use of terminology, symbols and imagery associated with closed extremist groups; openly expressing admiration for extremist ideologies, terrorist organisations or serial killers; acquiring related paraphernalia; violence towards people or animals; and the unexplained appearance of wounds, burns or scars.
Advice for parents
The VSD is urging parents to talk openly with their children about the risks of online communication and to ensure children know they can always turn to them for help or advice.
Parents are advised to monitor their children's social media activity closely, particularly who they are communicating with, and to install parental controls and content filtering software on devices.
They are also encouraged to check regularly what information about their children is publicly accessible online, and to think carefully before posting images of children on social media.
If a child establishes suspicious contacts online, parents are advised to save the full content of those communications.
Anyone who observes suspicious activity or signs of nihilistic extremism is urged to contact the VSD without delay.
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